Djokovic N. vs Sinner J

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The first player to qualify for the semifinals may be decided on the third day of the Nitto ATP Finals. In the most anticipated tie of the round thus far, home crowd favorite Jannik Sinner takes on six-time champion Novak Djokovic. If Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas loses, he might be eliminated early. Who will win in the end?

Hubert Hurkacz will have to wait a little while longer as an alternate after Stefanos Tsitsipas allayed concerns that he had sustained an elbow injury during practice. In his first match, Jannik Sinner easily defeated the Greek. Since the majority of their prior encounters took place on clay, the head-to-head didn't seem to matter as a predictor for their indoor match. During the post-match press conference, he came clean and admitted that Sinner had maintained it clean from the baseline. Tsitsipas was clearly trapped in the backhand corner, and he was not going to have much luck against one of the toughest hitters on the circuit.Although he didn't play a particularly poor match, it didn't help that he didn't generate any break points. Another defeat will reduce his chances of qualifying.

Here, Holger Rune may try to use comparable strategies. The Dane has made enormous progress under Boris Becker's tutelage. Compared to the player that went through one of the worst losing runs on tour this season, he appears to be a totally different player. He played Novak Djokovic on Sunday and was playing at a great level until the Serbian upped his game and took away all of the drama from the match. Having said that, Rune has the potential to win because he has already beaten Tsitsipas twice in their series and seems to have improved with Becker in his corner.

Holger Rune may attempt to employ similar tactics in this situation. The Dane has come a long way under Boris Becker's guidance. He seems like a completely different player than the one who experienced one of the worst losing streaks on the circuit this season. On Sunday, he faced Novak Djokovic, and up until the Serbian leveled up and eliminated all of the suspense from the match, he was playing at a high level. That being said, Rune is capable of winning because he has defeated Tsitsipas twice previously in their series and appears to have become stronger with Becker behind him.

With a 14-1 record, Sinner has been the ATP's most successful player on indoor hard courts. A fascinating finding by the statisticians demonstrates how Sinner has improved his serve subtly and grown almost unbreakable. With his serve against Tsitsipas, he dropped ten games in a row and did not encounter a break point. What was once thought to be his worst aspect of the game is now a strength. Is Djokovic focusing on the ball now that his primary objective has been achieved? Perhaps. Rune has given Sinner the blueprint to defeat the Serb, and he seems unaffected by the pressure of playing at home. I will support the upset, which would completely dismantle this group.